BigLaw firm decides 3 days per week in office isn’t enough; is it becoming trend?
A&O Shearman is requiring its U.S. lawyers to be in the office four days per week beginning Sept. 2, citing a “broader shift” to similar policies in the legal industry and among its clients. (Photo from Shutterstock)
A&O Shearman is requiring its U.S. lawyers to be in the office four days per week beginning Sept. 2, citing a “broader shift” to similar policies in the legal industry and among its clients.
The law firm currently requires three days per week in the office, Law.com reports in its story on the announcement.
The announcement said the change stems from the “vital role in-person interaction plays in the professional development, mentorship, training and teamwork of our people.” The firm said it will continue supporting a “flexible working environment” along with the change.
Law.com reports that most firms take a hybrid approach to office work. The average is two to three days per week at many firms.
But several firms are asking their lawyers to be in the office four days per week, according to Law.com and a March 4 report by Reuters.
Reuters, Law.com and Above the Law (here and here) identify these firms as among those expecting four days per week in the office:
• A&O Shearman (in September)
• Davis Polk & Wardwell
• Hogan Lovells (in September)
• Latham & Watkins (in New York)
• Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
• Ropes & Gray
• Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
• Sidley Austin
• Weil, Gotshal & Manges
• Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr
• Vinson & Elkins
Sullivan & Cromwell, meanwhile, expects five days per week in the office, according to a revision in its office manual.
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